Tiny Little Treasures
by FrostInTheWarren
Summary: Jack Frost had given up hope on ever having kids of his own. Then the Man in the Moon gave him five huge eggs. Jack's about to get the family he always wanted, and Bunny's gonna have to come along for the ride. Turns out, he's not the last Pooka after all. Who knew Pooka laid eggs? (Or: Jack's completely enraptured by his eggies, Bunny comes to a decision, and babies are hatched.)
1. I'm trying desperately

**Please note: *This story was given root at the same time as IlloustriousTaco's 'Pooka lay eggs' story. We had fun discussing them together and taking our own creative approaches to the idea. Really, the whole 'Pooka lay eggs' thing was a throw away gag line from Kayasurin in an AIM chat, and Taco and I took it from there and RAN WITH IT. I'm only just now getting my version out in time for Jackrabbit week, so you should go check hers too. It's great, I promise!***  
**Won't be posting songs for this one guys. I mostly just put foreign music on in the background or typed in silence.**

**JR Week Prompt: Fight**

* * *

Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,

Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel.

-Shakespeare, _Hamlet_, I, iii

* * *

Jack swiped at icicles, repressing the urge to make more just so he could knock those down, too.

_"Why is it you're __**always**__ making a mess?"_

_ "It was an accident!"_

_ "Well your little 'accident' cost me an entire batch of chocolate, and now I'm the one that's gotta clean it up and start all over again."_

_ "I said I was sorry! I can help make more—"_

_ "I think you've done __**enough**__ helping for one day."_

_ "But Bunny—"_

_ "Jack, just leave."_

Fuck it.

He conjured more icicles on the tree branches as he walked through the forest of Burgess, and took great pleasure in the shattering clinks that came from breaking them.

What did Bunny know, anyway? He'd only be trying to help! He'd had oven mitts on and everything, but a bit of chocolate had sloshed over the rim onto his foot. Recently boiling chocolate? Hot stuff. Jack Frost? Not so much. They were lucky all he'd done was drop the ridiculously big pot and spilled it rather than frosted the whole damn kitchen over in his shock.

He'd really wanted to help make that chocolate, too. His memories had been filling themselves in, and every now and then he'd remember snippets of his life that he'd forgotten. One of the more recent ones was his little sister's love for chocolate—a treat they'd gotten only a handful of times in their entire lives. Standing by and watching Bunny work on his chocolate like that…

He'd been seventeen and human again, his little sister giggling at his side, watching their mother make chocolate using the special beans her grandmother in France had sent her. It had been a special privilege to have chocolate, Jack knew that most people in the village hadn't had any idea what chocolate even was.

He'd just wanted to help.

But that had backfired, of course. After all, he made a mess of everything, didn't he? Ten years later, and Pitch's words still rang with some truth. Ten years later, and while they weren't obviously friends or anything, Bunny still seemed just out of his reach. They'd been getting closer, but he'd just had to go and screw that up a few months ago.

He'd just wanted to know more about Bunny. What were you like as a child? Who were your parents? What are Pooka like? Where were the rest of the Pooka? A few questions, asked in innocent curiosity, shouldn't have hurt any. But they had. Bunny had thrown him out of the Warren so fast Jack should have had skid marks on his behind.

He'd gone to North after that, upset and not understanding, and North had explained. Bunny's people were long gone. Bunny was the last.

He hadn't known. _He hadn't known._ No one had _told_ him! He'd just wanted to know more about Bunny! He'd just wanted-!

But that didn't matter now, did it? Bunny had rigorously ignored him for those following months, and not matter how much North reassured Jack that Bunny would get over it once he'd had time to think it through, Jack still knew it would be a long time before he'd make any sort of new progress in their relationship.

Jack pursed his lips tight and knocked over a few more icicles. _Relationship_. Now he was just kidding himself. Ten years he'd worked, trying to mend old hurts. Yes, he'd caused that Blizzard in '68. Yes, he'd been manipulated by Pitch in 2012 and left them open for Easter to be destroyed. But hadn't he made up for that? He'd helped with Easter every year after that. He'd worked himself a nice little niche in the group slowly, patiently. They'd become his best friends and closest confidants, and even felt a bit like a family, even if it wasn't quite the type of family he'd always longed for.

As for Bunny, well, Jack had had ideas for what they could be. He'd been trying to carefully push them into that intimate space, where friendship reworked itself into something softer and more heated. Then he'd finally have an excuse to run his hands over Bunny's wonderful shoulders, and to tweak that cute tail. He be able to place his head against Bunny's chest and listen to the sound of his heart and the rumble of his wonderful voice. To watch those hands, so different from his own, create beautiful things unlike anything Jack had ever made with his snow and ice.

That wouldn't happen, now. He'd thought that helping with the Easter preparations, like he did every year, along with everyone else, would help get things back to where they'd been before he'd asked those questions. He'd been wrong, it seemed.

Jack sighed, and kicked a pile of snow with his feet. It was fresh snow, still soft and fluffy looking, the kind of snow that packed for perfect snowballs. It was the last light snowfall of the year, and was barely an inch thick. It made him wonder if there was anyone out playing. He could use the pick-me-up. Especially since he'd decided that, since it seemed Bunny needed more time away from Jack, he would be avoiding the Warren entirely for at least a few months. They'd still see each other briefly at the monthly Guardian meetings, but that didn't mean they had to interact with each other much while they were there.

He'd been working to make Bunny look at him for ten years, since his stupid little crush had went and flipped itself entirely on its head and fallen in love, of all things. If it was for Bunny, Jack could wait a few months. That was nothing compared to the three hundred years he'd spent without.

Jack made his way toward the lake. There was a chance some kids would be playing on it before the ice melted, even if it was sunset. He was only a little disappointed when he reached it and no one was there.

He spent an hour or so skating on the lake, with nothing better to do occupying his mind. The sun had set, and the moon shone high overhead like a beacon in the sky. Jack gave it a cursory glance as he skated. He and Manny weren't exactly on speaking terms, not that they'd ever been.

Just as Jack was starting to get bored a bright beam of moonlight intensified on the center of the lake. Jack stopped skating, and watched the moonbeam. What was Manny doing?

The light grew brighter and brighter, something appearing on the ice where it hit like a spotlight. As the thing became entirely tangible, the moonbeam faded away, leaving it behind.

Jack approached cautiously, his curiosity overtaking any misgivings he might have had about strange gifts from the Moon getting beamed down like something out of Star Trek. The thing turned out to be a huge basket at least six feet in diameter with no handles. In the center of the basket (which seemed to have been padded with fluffy pillows that peeked over the edge) a cluster of something poked up from underneath a thick blanket that covered most of the basket.

He narrowed his eyes and bit his lip. He pinched the blanket between two fingers, and lifted it off slowly.

Eggs. The Man in the Moon had given Jack a cluster of five, brightly colored, strangely patterned eggs, each one different from the others. Very big eggs, too. Each one was the size of a newborn baby, if not slightly larger.

He was confused. Jack set down his staff and carefully picked one up. It was heavy, but not too bad. Why would the Man in the Moon give him eggs, of all things?

Jack traced his fingers over the egg's pattern. This egg's base color was yellow, and it was covered in purple and green polka-dots. It was warm in his hands. He stared at it for a few seconds, shifting it around to see it from all sides, when he paused.

Had…had something just moved? Inside the egg?

Jack pressed his ear to the shell, and listened very carefully. Eventually, he heard a small shifting sound.

He drew back, eyes wide and mouth open in shock. There was! There was something alive in there! Giddy with excitement, he placed the egg back in the basket, and bounced around it like a child on Christmas morning. This…this was his chance! The family he'd always wanted! He'd—

Jack reeled. He'd be a _parent_. He'd get to love and care for and raise these little somethings, whatever they were, and he'd have a family. Sure they'd only have one parent, but Jack had only had one parent too after his father passed, and he'd been alright. He placed a hand over his mouth, overwhelmed at his sudden joy. He'd never allowed himself to entertain the thought of children. He'd wanted them, he'd even looked forward to the day he'd have a few when he'd been human, but had given up any hope upon realizing his sexuality as a spirit. Two males couldn't have children, and there wasn't really a way to go about adopting when you were essentially an immortal spirit.

Jack looked up at the Moon, and for the first time ever, said, "Thank you."

If he didn't know any better, Jack could've sworn he felt moonlight brush through his hair like affectionate fingers.

* * *

Jack found himself with a bit of a dilemma after that. First things first: how to get the basket someplace safe. He couldn't just leave it there on the lake. He had to get it somewhere he could guard and protect his new charges. There had to be a cave somewhere in these woods…

Luckily, there was. It was a bit cramped, for sure, but it would fit both him and the basket. Jack could stand up, at least, though anyone taller would have to duck to get inside. As it was, he'd have to carry his staff at an angle when he brought it in. The cave itself was only about twenty feet deep, and fifteen across.

After that came his second issue: how to get the eggs to the cave. It was about half a mile away, and he'd never be able to carry the basket. He eventually decided flying was his best bet. Calling the wind, he instructed it to pick the basket up, and he flew with it to the cave. He nearly had a heart attack when it almost tipped at one point. His heart permanently lodged in his throat, he'd cut their speed drastically. He'd never flown so slowly.

He settled the basket at the back of the cave, and set his staff up as a light source. It glowed bright, casting the space with gentle blue light. He checked the eggs for cracks and fractures, stomach ceasing its frantic flips as he realized they were alright.

He checked their heat, as well. Third issue: weren't eggs supposed to be kept warm? They felt warm to him; in fact they didn't seem to have lost any of their heat despite the night's chill. He made sure they were settled in the pillows of the basket, and wrapped the blanket around them. He wracked his mind for ways to provide extra heat.

He ended up making a small fire midway between the cave's entrance and the basket. With its light he was able to stop his staff's glow and preserve his magic. Jack searched the area around the cave for stones big and flat enough for him to put in the fire. He found ten flat, thick stones roughly the size of his palm, and put them in the fire to heat. When they'd been in there for a while, he took off his hoodie and white undershirt. He tore the shirt into ragged pieces to wrap the stones in. He took a stick and pushed the stones out of the fire. He pushed them onto the cloth and wrapped them, careful to avoid brushing them with his fingers. He was unable to avoid gripping them when he tucked them under the pillows beneath the eggs, but he did this part as quickly as possible. As it were, he still gained a few burns on his right hand from handling all ten. His shirt had been an old thing, worn thin over the years. It was a wonder it hadn't fallen apart before, so he wasn't surprised that it hadn't been able to protect his skin very well.

Jack, hoodie back on, covered the entrance with fallen branches and brambles to help keep some of the heat inside. Finished, he made his way to the basket, and settled in as well. He lay curved around them, and was for once happy for his small frame and skinny legs, since it meant he fit better. It was still a bit tight, but he managed. The basket was a made of sturdy strips of wood lashed together, and even with him lying in it, didn't so much as creak when he got in. He wondered if it had been made so strong on purpose; if Manny had foreseen that Jack would want to lay down with his eggs.

He rested his head on his folded left arm, and smiled at the eggs. The thought came that he should consider telling the other Guardians about his new treasures, but after some quiet contemplation dismissed it. For Jack, this was his special little secret. He would tell them later, of course, once his eggs had hatched. But until then, he would keep them to himself. His own private joy for him to cherish and adore until they hatched and the world came knocking.

His family, he thought, happiness bubbling in his chest and spreading a dopey smile across his face. This was his new family, the one he'd wanted. The _kids_ he'd secretly dreamed of.

He wasn't kidding himself. He didn't even know what species these eggs would hatch as, though he assumed they'd be some sort of bird creatures. No creature in existence that he'd seen before had eggs this size or this colorful either, so he made the tentative assumption that, like kitsune or tanuki, they'd be at least slightly anthropomorphic or shape shifters. He could sense the ambient magic from them. He could tell from their magic that they were a higher species, at least, with it being more complex than a simple magical animal, like Paul Bunyan's cow or a hellhound.

But it didn't matter so much what they were. Inside those eggs were baby somethings waiting to be born, and Jack Frost was determined that he would be the one to see it through.

Jack nibbled his lip thoughtfully, a mildly embarrassing urge clinging to his mind. He gave in. Reaching out with his right hand, he tenderly ran his fingers over the top of each egg. His burns pained him a slightly, but he ignored them. Then he sat up, and, blushing a tiny bit, feathered light, affectionate kisses on them. He lay back down afterwards, still embarrassed, but more happy than anything.

As he closed his eyes, he gave one last, decisive thought to not tell the Guardians about his precious treasures until they'd hatched. Besides, a stray melancholy bitterness added, it wasn't like Bunny wanted to see him anyway.


	2. Keep trying to catch your ear

**Day two prompt: Dreams**

* * *

Sleep my little one, sleep my pretty one, sleep.

-Alfred , Lord Tennyson, _The Princess_, 1847

* * *

The first morning Jack woke with the warmth of the eggs beside him, he buried his face in the pillows and smiled. This was a trend that would continue for weeks, and then it would change itself to a soft look of utmost affection, and a tender sigh.

Jack had duties to deal with, of course. A few final touches as winter made its way out the door. He always made sure to heat the stones before he left, and checked on them often. But it wasn't his usual workload, so he had plenty of time to spend with his eggs. He ran his hands over them, mindful of the burns that littered his right from handling the stones, tracing the patterns with the tips of his fingers. Sometimes he sat in the basket and arranged them around him, and would take turns cradling each in his lap. One day he decided to speak to his eggs aloud, feeling it was a little too quiet in this cave he'd made their own.

"I'm so glad you're here," he told them. "I can't wait until you're here, and you can hold me back. I wonder how big you are in there? Are your eggs oversized, or just right?"

He brought the egg in his lap, the smallest of the bunch, close to his face, and kissed it sweetly. This egg had a white base, with red and blue diamonds and triangles, some of which weren't filled in and were only outlines of the shapes. He cradled it to his chest, nuzzling the top. "I already love you so much. It's impossible for me to love you any more than this." All five had already wormed their way into his heart so fully, with their gentle ambient magic and soft warmth. "I know you won't have another daddy to help raise you, but that's okay. I didn't either. I can be mommy and daddy."

A small part of him held out hope that one day, in the future, when Bunny was ready to see him again and Jack managed to get the old Pooka to come around, that might change. It would be nice to have a partner in this. To present his precious treasures to Bunny, and have Bunny love them just as much as Jack did. To share responsibilities and affection like the ocean shares a breeze. Simple, constant, reliable. It would probably take years and years and years, but Jack had a patience to rival glaciers hidden under all his excitable layers, and he could do it.

Jack sighed against the egg's shell. "I can't wait to name you."

The baby shifted in its shell.

Jack gasped. "You moved!" He laughed, and it shifted more in the egg. The more he laughed and spoke, the more it moved.

He placed his forehead against it. "Can you hear me in there?"

It didn't move for a moment, and then he felt the bump against the shell from the inside as it shifted. He grinned in disbelief. "You can." Granted it wouldn't understand what he was saying, but he remembered hearing something about things like this from pregnant women whose babies recognized their voice.

Jack shivered he was so excited. "Would you like me to talk to you more, little one? I can get some books and read to you all."

The baby shifted, and it was the best thing ever.

"I agree," he said.

* * *

Jack borrowed a few books from Jamie and Cupcake, which he began reading to the eggs at night when he went to bed. It took a little longer for the other eggs to start recognizing his voice, the white one having been the first, but eventually they all began to respond to his voice when he read to them. It got to the point that he spent most of his time just talking to them, or singing, or reading.

It was almost therapeutic. To these little beings he poured his heart out. He sang and hummed and whistled. He read them poetry and stories. He told them about the Guardians, and how much he cared for his kind-of-but-not-quite family. He told them about Bunny. He even told them about a little girl named Emma, and her stupid big brother that had saved her, and how much the big brother had loved her. Everything. His hopes, his goals…his dreams.

If they'd been able to understand, he would have wondered if they knew more about him than he did about himself.

One night he wondered off hand if the babies had dreams, too. He was curious what they'd be about. He decided to borrow some sand from Sandy at the next meeting that was coming up in a few days.

* * *

Jack fidgeted with his staff as North talked about how production was going at the Pole. The yeti were ahead this year, he said, and at this rate he might even have a free day before Christmas. The meeting was going on as usual, with all the Guardians hanging around the globe, and was usually spent all smiles and laughter. But there was something about Jack that the Guardians noticed. The boy was oddly quiet, frequently looking into the distance and worrying his lower lip. The lights were on, but Jack Frost didn't appear to be home.

Jack didn't realize this about himself, of course, but jumped when his name was suddenly called.

"Jack?" Tooth fluttered at his side, hand hovering over his shoulder.

Jack blinked, and brought his focus back to the present. "Wha?"

"Are you alright?" Her concern was tangible in her voice.

Jack almost waved her concern away, until he remembered the burns on his right. He instead opted for a shrug, seeking to keep his burns hidden so he wouldn't have to try explaining them. "I'm fine. Just distracted."

"Is something you need to tell us?" North placed his hands on his hips.

Jack shook his head. "No, no, it's fine. Just…winter stuff." He shifted his gaze to Sandy. "Hey Sandman, would it be possible for me to borrow a bit of sand?"

Sandy gave a few rapid blinks, a question mark forming over his head.

Jack brushed his hand over his cheek. "Having a bit of trouble sleeping." He hated lying to Sandy like this, but he didn't want to tell the real reason. He wasn't ready to share his eggs with them, yet. Maybe it was selfish, but he'd accept that.

Sandy nodded, and snatched a pouch from a passing elf. He upended it, scowling at the bits and bobs that fell out—a spring, a rubber band, cookie crumbs, and a crayon being among them—and directed a small stream of dream sand into it. He pulled the drawstring closed, and handed it to Jack.

Jack smiled and tucked it away in his hoodie pocket. "Thanks, Sandy."

Sandy nodded.

"Well, if we're done here…" Jack began slowly backing towards the railing that overlooked the work floor. "I'll just be going now, bye-bye!" He jumped over, and flew off into the workshop.

Bunny, who had been leaning against the wall and was being just as quiet as Jack had been, seemed to argue with himself for a moment. Then his face tightened into a look of determination and he took off after him, calling, "Jack, wait!"

Tooth flew to North's side. "He's acting strange," she pointed out.

Sandy placed a finger over his mouth.

Tooth nodded. "I think he's keeping a secret, too."

"I agree." North stroked his beard. "But, is not a bad thing. I can feel it." He pat his stomach. "In my belly."

Tooth smiled. "Well, we can always trust that."

North couldn't tell if that was sarcasm or not.

* * *

"Oi! Jack! Wait up!"

Jack landed in front of the main entrance doors, which stretched high up to the ceiling. He'd planned on just taking the window next to them, since the doors could be annoying to get open with how thick and heavy they were. He rocked on his heels as Bunny stopped in front of him, slightly nervous. He was pretty sure Bunny might still be upset with him. "What's up, buttercup?"

Bunny shot him a disgruntled look at the nickname, but opted out of a rebuttal. "Look, Jack, I just…" He seemed uncomfortable.

Jack waited patiently, halting his sways when he realized how serious Bunny seemed.

Bunny scrubbed a hand across his face with a sigh. "Look, Jack, I'm sorry. I overreacted. Your questions just gave me a lot to think about."

Jack avoided looking directly at him. "I shouldn't have asked."

"You didn't know," Bunny reassured, looking chagrined. "And my reaction didn't help. But it wasn't just me bein' the last. It brought up some…other things, that I'd been avoiding thinking about."

"Does this mean I'm allowed back in the Warren?" Jack asked.

"Mate," Bunny said tiredly, "you never weren't."

Jack smiled. If he wasn't careful he felt like he might blush. "I'll be sure to come by and mess around soon."

Bunny rolled his eyes. "Long as you don't mess with the googie plants, she'll be apples."

"Googies…" Jack's eyes went wide. "Oh. Right. Yeah. Totally, understood. No messing with your egg plants. Gotta go, Bunny, see you later and all that."

He took off out the window, leaving a bewildered Bunny to watch him go.

* * *

Jack entered the cave as night set in, covering the entrance over once more behind him. He started the fire, stoking it and adding a bit of fuel. Then he went to check on the eggs.

"Hey guys," he said. "I'm home—"

Jack paused. He hadn't meant to say that. Home? Burgess in its entirety had always been his 'home,' and its rooftops and trees his bed. Since when had he begun to associate this tiny cave his home? He laughed gently. Of course; it was ever since he'd moved five eggs into it. Since he'd decided to give all the unclaimed pieces of himself to them. The cave wasn't home, the eggs themselves were. 'Home is where the heart is' and all that. Now if he could just get that piece of his heart that lived in the Warren with Bunny to stop being homesick everything would be great.

Jack closed his eyes as he sighed. "Yeah, I'm home."

He shifted the eggs to one side so he could sit in the basket. He picked up an egg with a black base color and orange and silver swirls. He set it in his lap, and ran his hands over it like he always did.

"I made up with Bunny today," he said. The baby moved inside, thumping the shell. He laughed. "I know! I was happy, too. He said it's okay to go to the Warren, so I'll probably end up going there for a little while soon." He shifted a little. "But I won't be gone for too long. I don't want to leave you guys alone if I don't have to.

"You'll like Bunny, I think. He's gruff at first, but he really likes kids. He'll be all over you guys with eggs on Easter. We can have a special egg hunt and everything." He smiled down at the egg. "How does that sound? And Tooth will insist on checking your teeth...," he furrowed his brow. "If you have teeth, that is. But North! He'll spoil you guys so much on Christmas, I just know it. He'll give you all the best presents, and we can spend the day at the Pole playing. It'll be great. Then Sandy, he'll make for great sleepovers…Sandy!" Jack reached in his hoodie, and pulled out the bag of sand. "I've got a treat for your dreams tonight!"

Jack moved the egg from his lap and back onto the pillows with the others. Then he reheated the stones and put them in place, wincing as his burns were renewed from their partially healed state. Then he settled himself into the basket, and opened the drawstring on the bag. Jack sprinkled the sand over the eggs. At first nothing happened, the sand settling like a glittering decoration on their shells. Before he could be disappointed, it moved slowly, rising above each egg to hover in indistinct shapes. It swirled like a live thing, never settling on one thing. While nothing clear was formed, there was an impression of comfort in the rhythmic rippling.

Jack huffed his amusement. "I guess I'm not really surprised. What was I expecting to happen, anyway…," he trailed off as the sand changed. It danced in the air in an excited little wave over the eggs. "What's this?" The sand grew more 'happy,' forming tight corkscrews and ribbons. When it seemed to calm some, he laughed. "What were you dreaming about?" When he spoke the sand took up its dance once more.

Jack's eyes blew wide. "Wait, are you reacting to my voice?" The sand continued its dance. He laughed, and it began spinning in spirals. "You are," he murmured. Joy quivered in his chest and made a lump in his throat. "You're dreaming about me."

Jack made a breathy sound, and laid down, the light from the sand shining off his eyes and glowing on his skin. "That's good," he said. "I dream about you guys, too."


	3. Shelter me oh genius words

**JR Week Prompt: Green**

**I'm glad the eggies are so cute to you all! Jack's a big, adorable sap in this story.**  
**Kudos to those who recognized the white egg. Yes, I did design it to look like Togepi.**

* * *

Trust men and they will be true to you.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson, _Prudence_ in _Essays: First Series_, 1841

* * *

Jack's self-promised visit to the Warren came in July. He arrived in the morning like a slip on the breeze, twisting his way through the fields and around the sentinels with uncanny grace. Bunny found him sitting on one such sentinel, poking it in the face with his staff to see if he could get it to change expressions.

"You tormenting things this early?" Bunny gave Jack the deadpan look to end all deadpan looks.

"I'm not tormenting," Jack replied. "I'm playing. You should try it some time."

"I know how to enjoy myself!"

"Uh-huh." Jack shot a glance across the field to a large tree. He smirked, and took off toward it. "Race you to that tree!"

"That's cheating!" Bunny was after him like a shot, all motion blur and speed.

Jack laughed, a sound on the wind, and flew faster. He reached out as he got closer, ready to brush his hand against the bark, when he was grabbed around the waist and brought back to earth in Bunny's grip. They hit the ground and rolled, until Bunny ended up with his back against the tree, and Jack in his lap. They panted, catching their breath.

"I win," Bunny said.

"You cheated," Jack rebutted. He shifted his hands along his staff, frowning petulantly.

"No more than you did, I reckon."

Jack snorted. "I issued the challenge. It's not my fault you couldn't catch up to me, Cottontail."

Bunny flicked Jack's ear, making him yelp. "Tell yourself that, Frostbite."

Jack scowled, and turned his head to reply, but stopped when his nose brushed Bunny's jaw. Oh, but they were very close together now, weren't they? Bunny hadn't moved his hands from around Jack's waist, and they sent sparks through him like livewires. The chest at his back was warm, and sturdy under all that soft fur.

Bunny seemed to have come to a similar realization as Jack had, because he was staring down at him too now. Scant inches separated them, and Jack was struck by the crazy urge to cover that ground and do something stupid. He fought it back and pulled himself from Bunny's hold. He stood up, yoking his staff across his shoulders. The empty places on his waist where Bunny's hands had been were like hot brands on his mind, and he was hyper aware of their absence.

He wandered away slowly, spinning on the balls of his feet playfully. "Come on, Bun-Bun. Let's go find something else to do."

Bunny laughed, and it was a nice sound. "Alright Jackie. Let's see what mischief I can keep you out of."

* * *

Aster had been a mess.

For ten years he'd had time to get used to Jack Frost. The little shite had wormed himself in the Warren so effectively that there was a noticeable gap when he was gone. There was less laughter, less giggles and sudden spots of mischief that brightened and excited Bunny's normal routine. Jack made the days seem different and new in a way they hadn't been for centuries. He was used to passing years like weeks and centuries like months. Jack, with his joy and motion, made time slow down so that he felt each day distinctively, and simultaneously made the hours pass too quickly as he enjoyed himself. Since when had he started wishing that he days were _longer_ when Jack was around?

He began letting Jack putter around the Warren like he belonged there. Jack, he discovered, was restless when he was bored, and found ways to occupy his time cleaning around Bunny's home. He washed quilts and swept his kitchen. Jack had even started cooking when Aster was busy working on something and hadn't taken time to eat, delivering the meal to whatever place Aster'd planted himself firmly in to work. Bunny had taken to circling Jack whenever they played or chased each other, and brushing against the boy as often as he could get away with.

He'd been treating Jack like a potential mate and he hadn't even realized it until Jack had brought the Pooka up. He'd never spoken to Jack about them, but to be fair Jack hadn't ever spoken about himself either. Until then there had been nothing and no one to call him out on his behaviors. Jack's questions served as a sudden reminder that hit him like a ton of bricks as he was forced to acknowledge what his actions meant.

His brother had to be laughing at him from the afterlife. Aster just knew it.

Jack wasn't a Pooka. That was abundantly clear. He'd never grow fur, or be able to chin someone like a proper Pooka. He'd never have Aster's eggs.

And that was the real crux of the matter, wasn't it? Aster was a buck, and bucks didn't lay eggs. Only does did. (Not that that meant does were strictly female, or that bucks were strictly male. There were male does with the right pipework inside to lay eggs, and simply shape shifted a bit when the time came to do so. Then there were female bucks, who were born with their setup and a couple bits extra, but were typically barren of any eggs themselves. Aster just wasn't either of those; he was a typical buck.) Jack wasn't a Pooka, so even if he did become Aster's 'doe' he'd never be able to have kids. Kids which had already been so rare amongst Aster's people in the first place, given their long lives.

If he chose to follow through with courting Jack and making him his mate, it meant giving up on the possibility of ever having children, of letting go of that hope that somewhere there were other Pooka.

It wasn't until the incident with Jack spilling chocolate that Aster made up his mind. He'd taken his frustration out on Jack because Jack was the one making him feel confused, and he'd regretted it the moment Jack was gone. The boy had looked so _hurt_, and it made Aster feel worse than he'd felt before. Jack didn't deserve to look like that, with the same look on his face as Easter 2012, when Aster had cast him out then, too.

It was probably a good thing Jack had stayed away in the following month, even if he'd never really been banned from coming. Aster had needed the time to grieve for old hopes lost.

But now, E. Aster Bunnymund was ready to get himself his mate.

If only that mate would stop being so secretive.

Bunny watched Jack walk across the River of Coloring, freezing the surface under his feet as he skipped along. He was being carefree now, but Jack had been strange for a while now. He was quiet at the previous meetings, and seemed distracted constantly. It was obvious to everyone that Jack was hiding something. He wished the boy would just tell them _what._

As Jack came off the river, Aster tossed him an apple. "Here, brought you a snack."

Jack caught the apple reflexively with his right hand, then immediately dropped it with a pained yelp.

"You alright?" Bunny hopped over, concern twitching his nose. He looked at Jack's hand as the boy tried to hide it, and was taken aback by what he saw. Burns littered his palm and the pads of his fingers, some small spots more healed than others. It didn't look serious, but it had to have been painful. "Where did you get those?!"

Jack shoved the hand in his pocket. "I was just being stupid and burnt myself. It's no big deal."

"Those didn't look like no big deal." Aster's hands twitched with the desire to reach out and take Jack's hand for a second look. "Some of those looked fresh, and the others looked older. Have you been burning yourself Jack?"

"What? You think I'm—? No!" Jack looked indignant. "It's not like that."

"Then what is it Jack? Because burns like that don't just happen."

Jack took a deep breath. "Look, Bunny, I appreciate the concern, but it's really nothing horrible. I'm…doing something right now, and the burns are just a necessary evil. And no, I won't tell you what it is. Not yet." Jack gave him a beseeching look. "I _will_ tell you, I promise. But for now, please, just…trust me."

Right. Trust. One of the first big foundations for courtship. Aster sighed heavily, and nodded. "Alright. Can you at least let me look at them? And…would it be a breach of trust to offer an oven mitt for whatever it is you're doing, so you don't make the burns any worse?"

Jack grinned lopsidedly. "It wouldn't, it would help a lot, actually." Jack slowly withdrew his hand from his pocket. "And, I guess you can take a look at it, if it worries you so much."

"I appreciate it," Aster said, only halfway sarcastic.

Aster treated Jack's hand like it was glass. They ended up back in Aster's cottage at his kitchen table. He slathered Jack's hand in burn salves and wrapped it in bandages, the white of the bandage barely standing out from the paleness of Jack's own skin.

Jack scanned his handwork with a critical eye. "Look good, I suppose."

Aster snorted. "Shut up, you bloody nuisance."

Jack chuckled. "Thank you, Bunny," he said sincerely.

Aster's look softened. "You're welcome."

"Now," Jack leaned forward across the table, eyes narrowed mock-seriously, "you said something about an oven mitt?"

So it was that when Jack left the Warren that day it was with a bandaged hand and a red oven mitt. Curiosity gnawed at Aster like a starving beast, but he let it go. Trust. He trusted Jack.

He went back to his cottage more certain than ever of his decision to court Jack. Giving up on his desire for children hurt, but it would fade in time. Who knew? Perhaps he would explain the 'Pooka lay eggs' thing to Jack one day, when the thought didn't leave him quite as wanting. The boy would definitely get a kick out of it. He'd certainly found it ridiculous when he was a young kit.

Big rabbit people, laying brightly colored, patterned eggs that only hatched when you'd given them months of affection? And bonding! Oh, Jack would love it.

* * *

"Look what I've got!" Jack showed the oven mitt proudly to the eggs. "Bunny gave it to me! Now I won't burn my hand when I put the stones in place under the pillows."

Jack nabbed the egg with an emerald green base color and ruby red splotches from the basket. He twirled slowly around the small space in the cave, holding it carefully as he danced. "I'm even more excited for you guys to be born now, so that they can all meet you. It'll be great!"

He set the egg back down, and wandered over to the fire. He stoked it back to life, and retrieved the cooled stones from the basket. He heated them in the fire, rewrapped them in cloth, and with his new oven mitt replaced them back beneath the pillows. The entire process gave him a weird giddy feeling, and when he took it off he made sure to put the oven mitt in a safe place.

He sat in the basket, and pulled out the book he'd been reading to them. "Alright, who's ready for a story? I think we left off with Tiffany talking to the Nac Mac Feegle…"

Night saw Jack asleep in the basket with his eggs. They were wrapped around by the blanket they'd come with, and Jack curled himself around them protectively. The only sounds to be heard were Jack's quiet breaths as he slept, and the nightly sounds of wildlife in the forest.

And then that quiet was broken. From within the green egg there came a quiet tapping. Moments later the white egg followed, and soon each egg had taken to tapping. Jack slept on, oblivious to the signs of the swiftly approaching event he'd been waiting for for months.


	4. That is really all we are

**JR Week Prompt: Blue**  
**Here it comes~**

* * *

The beginning is the most important part of the work.

-Plato, _The Republic_, 4th cent. B.C.

* * *

When Jack woke one morning a week later the eggs were strangely quiet. Concerned, he looked them all over carefully, but they were still warm and alive. He fret for a while, but in the end let them be. There wasn't much he could do if they just didn't feel like being active in their shells. Jack left the cave, searching for more kindling for the fire. He had to light one to heat the stones for the basket before he left. There was a Guardians meeting today, and he wanted to makes sure the eggs were comfortable before he left.

As he piled small sticks in his arms, he began considering the complications he'd have to settle once the babies hatched. He couldn't keep them in that little cave forever. Maybe it'd be fine while they were infants, but once they grew up that would be a different story. He needed to find a place to live that was permanent, and would be complimentary to whatever species his babies were. Perhaps he'd find someplace mountainous, where it wouldn't be as difficult to find a better cave or build them a home from scratch. He was a skilled enough carpenter to make something happen. It wouldn't be extravagant or anything, but it would make do, and anything else they needed he could gather or ask his friends for. He was sure North had an abundance of blankets and quilts at the Pole, with all the guest rooms he boasted.

North would provide toys too, Jack knew. And if he ever needed babysitters while he did his duty he had the Guardians. Surely there would be one available if he really needed them to watch his kids? He had the strangest feeling that Sandy would be simultaneously the best and worst babysitter, with his bright sand and attitude (the guy had some serious _sass_) he'd be fun to play with. But at the same time Jack felt that if the kids ever got out of hand or annoying Sandy would probably just knock them out with sand and let them sleep the entire time. He wasn't sure if that was amusing or concerning to consider.

Tooth had her palace, and the fairies were responsible. There were enough around that someone would always have their eye on the kids, even if Tooth herself couldn't. And the palace was big enough that the kids would have room to run around and play. Tooth herself was a sweetheart and would adore them, he just knew it.

North as a babysitter seemed weird and a bit scary. The yeti were responsible, but the elves were always getting into things they shouldn't anyway. And he'd seen the number of weapons North left lying around; that certainly wasn't a safe environment for five tiny kids. Everyone always seemed so busy there, too. It would be easy to lose track of one small child in a sea of toys and giant yeti people. So, it seemed North would be most often regulated to visits where Jack was present to make sure nothing bad happened.

Bunny seemed like he'd be the best bet for a babysitter. He had the energy for it, and the Warren was a beautiful, safe place. Plenty of room for his babies to play in soft grass or flit between trees (if they flew, that is). The sentinels were always on guard and would watch out for them, too, but Jack had a feeling Bunny was the kind of person who would watch over kids with an eagle eye. What few dangers that might present themselves in the Warren were minor. The river of coloring wasn't very deep, and was in a completely different section of the Warren than Bunny's personal cottage.

Jack finished his task, his musings coming to an end as he made his way back to the cave. Besides, he should be worrying more about what sort of food he'd need once they were born. He could always talk some baby formula out of Cupcake and Jamie if he needed to, but he wouldn't know for sure until they came out of their shell.

Jack set the kindling down and approached the nest. He paused as he heard a tiny tapping sound. Coming closer, he looked over the eggs. It was coming from the egg with the sky blue base color, with a big pink starburst on the top and bottom, and a white stripe through the middle. He picked it up, and listened carefully. Sharp little taps hit the shell from the inside, and Jack gasped.

"Are you getting ready to hatch?" he asked breathlessly.

The egg continued its tapping, and then from the basket the white one did as well. Jack stared at the white egg, a huge smile on his face. They were! They were going to hatch!

He put the egg down, and bounced on his feet. Oh, he needed to go get the formula now, quickly, while there was still time. It would be better to have it on hand and ready just in case. Jack shot out of the cave, taking off for Cupcake and Jamie's house.

* * *

When Jack got back he carried with him an insulated bag with no less than five baby bottles of formula filled to the brim and heated to skin temperature. He'd had to explain the situation a bit to Cupcake and Jamie, since it was weird to just show up and demand formula and bottles with no explanation. Jamie had been the more flabbergasted of the two, but Cupcake, bless her, had answered his need with efficiency. She'd threatened him to make sure he brought them back when he was finished, and wished him luck. She'd provided a few fluffy towels and a bucket as well, reminding him that he'd need to clean the babies off as they came out of their shells. He carried it three quarters full with warm water from their bath tub.

Jack set the bag down, and the bucket next to the basket. He climbed in, relieved he hadn't missed anything. The white and blue eggs were still tapping away, but the yellow one seemed to have joined them. Jack crooned soothingly at them. "Come on, you can do it."

The white was the first to gain a crack. It split the shell from base nearly to tip, so thin it was barely there. Then the crack grew more pronounced, and fractured along the shell. Tiny pieces came off as Jack watched in awe. The pretty pattern was broken as the tiny life inside fought its way out.

"You've got it," he whispered, and for some reason felt like he was going to cry.

A larger chunk fell away, and Jack realized that the baby was actually kicking its way out of the shell with feet that were furred. The tip of its toes had blunt claws. Like an egg tooth on a baby chick, this must have been the way the baby broke its shell, and they would fall off in a few days.

Jack blinked at the little furred feet. Not a bird, as he'd thought, then. As he watched it somehow maneuvered itself out of the shell, bits breaking away with tiny cracks. Its fur was matted to its body. The moment its head was free it began making high pitched squeaky cries. Jack immediately reached for it.

"Ssh, ssh, it's okay, I'm here, I'm here." It was just smaller than a newborn baby, with two long, floppy little ears on its head. As he looked it over he found he was looking at a baby bunny. Realization creeped into his mind on quiet feet the longer he looked it over.

A Pooka.

A baby Pooka.

But that was impossible! Bunny had said he was last!

The baby cried, and Jack's attention became solely locked on it. "You're…," he looked it over, finding what he was looking for, "a boy, I think."

As he spoke the baby calmed his cries, snuffling his hands to his tiny muzzle. Jack dipped a towel in the bucket one handed, and wrung it out as best he could. Then he began wiping at the matted fur. The baby was a pretty red, and as he cleaned him the fur fluffed out in soft poofs. "You're a ginger!" Jack giggled in delight.

The baby made a soft noise when Jack giggled, and opened his eyes. Bright blue looked directly at Jack's face, and the baby cooed. It reached out for him. Jack obliged, moving his face forward. The baby ran tiny little hands over his cheeks and mouth. When it made soft wondrous noises, Jack thought his heart might burst.

"Hi," Jack said, voice shaky. "I'm your daddy." He leaned into the soft touch, and closed his eyes. "Or your mommy, or whatever you want to call me."

The baby took his hands away, and Jack sighed. "Are you hungry?" He retrieved a bottle, and held it to the baby's mouth. It suckled happily, and didn't reject the formula, so Jack hoped that it was alright. He'd have to check with Bunny to see what Pooka babies needed.

Bunny. Jack had to tell him. Bunny deserved to know. These babies were his people. He wasn't the last after all. But…what if Bunny tried to take his babies from him? What if Bunny didn't want Jack raising them? Jack wasn't a Pooka.

But they were _his_ babies. He was the one Manny had entrusted them to. He was the one that had cared for them and given them every bit of himself that he could, he…he…

"I didn't think it was possible," he awed, "for me to love you more than I did before." He watched the baby eat with quiet affection.

Well. That was it then. These were his babies. He was keeping them, damn it. He would tell Bunny, because Bunny needed to know. And if he wanted them, which Jack was almost certain he would, Jack would have to make very clear that they were his as well. Bunny was going to do this together with him, or not at all. Because Jack wasn't about to give up on the family he'd wanted for so long, no matter how selfish it may seem or made him feel.

Now, first thing's first. Bunny would want to be there for the rest of the hatchings. Jack settled the baby into the pillows, and covered him with the blanket. The baby whined when the bottle was taken away, but soothed when Jack hushed him. "Come on Clover," Jack named him instantly in that moment, a name he'd been mulling over slipping naturally off his tongue and assigning itself to the baby. "I need you to go to sleep for me for now, okay? I won't be gone for long, I promise."

Clover fell asleep, and Jack was careful not to wake him up as he got out of the basket. He looked the other eggs over. The blue one was still tapping, but no cracks had formed yet. He would have to move very quickly if he wanted to be back in time.

Jack jettisoned into the sky, flying faster than he'd ever flown before. He went to Jamie and Cupcake, retrieving the emergency snow globe they kept there. He thanked them, promising to explain later, and transported himself to the Pole. The Guardians would be there already. He was always the last to arrive to the meetings, and he'd been delayed leaving by Clover's hatching. Taking the snow globe would actually make him a bit early for once.

Jack appeared just outside the doors. He careened through an open window, dodging yeti and elves alike as he flew. Jack finally came to land as he reached the globe. He panted, trying to catch his breath as the Guardians crowded around.

"Jack!" North exclaimed. "Are you alright, my boy? You are never this early for meetings."

Jack coaxed him gently away. "I'm fine," he assured.

Jack looked up into Bunny's concerned eyes, and nervously bit his lip. He took a breath to reign in his courage. "There's something I need to tell you."

The world had come knocking. It was time for Jack to let it in.

* * *

**We're getting to the thick and thin of it now. CLOVER. I LOVE YOU. SO MUCH.  
**


	5. Just give me strength

**JR Week Prompt: Confessions**

**Yeppers, you wanted babies. I GIVE YOU BABIES.**

* * *

We find delight in the beauty and happiness of children that makes the heart too big for the body.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson, _The Conduct of Life_, 1860

* * *

"What's wrong, Jack?" Bunny crouched, leaning forward to better look up into Jack's eyes. "Did something happen?"

"Please don't be mad," Jack said.

"Mate, what've I got to be mad at you about? What do you need to tell me?" At Jack's hesitance, Bunny's expression became tight. "Is it that bad?"

"No!" Jack exclaimed. "It's not bad at all—it's amazing; it's wonderful; it's…!" He trailed off. It's everything, he told himself. "I just…I didn't know, okay? I didn't know, or I would have said something sooner, I _swear_ I would have."

"Calm down." When he noted the seriousness on Jack's face Bunny placed his hands out, palm up. "I get it. You didn't know. Now what is it?"

Jack hesitated. "It's easier if I show you." Jack turned to North. "Do you have a snow globe we could use?"

North yelled out in Yettish, and a yeti scrambled off to retrieve the item. "Would you like us to come with you?"

Jack slowly shook his head. "No. There'll barely be room for Bunny and I as it is.

"Where are you taking me?" Bunny pressed his hand to Jack's shoulder.

"A cave in Burgess." Jack nibbled his lip. "It's what's inside that's important. Look, Bunny, what's in this cave…you deserve it. I'll let you be a part of it. But it's _mine_ too."

Jack knew his words were only making Bunny more anxious, but they had to be said. He had to make him understand, _before_ he showed him his eggs.

Bunny scanned his eyes over Jack's face as the globe was finally brought to them. North thanked the yeti and handed it to Jack. He held it up, and focused on the cave. When the whirling snow in the glass settled, it showed the cave's entrance, covered exactly how he'd left it. Jack tossed it, and it shattered open into a swirling blue portal. "Let's go."

Jack pulled ahead of Bunny, and jumped through. Bunny followed quickly behind. They came out exactly where they were meant to, just in front of the cave. Jack turned to give Bunny one final warning, when the sound of squeaky, high-pitched cries came from the cave.

"Clover!" he cried. Jack ripped aside the brambles and branches of the entrance, and rushed inside.

* * *

Aster followed Jack into the cave cautiously. The cries coming from the cave had made his ears shoot up, a creeping familiarity rising in him. He knew those cries, distantly, like they were something he'd heard before a long time ago but couldn't quite place.

He stepped in, and took in his surroundings. The cave was small, he had to crouch to fit in comfortably. There were the remnants of a fire about midway in, a pile of sticks and kindling set against the wall nearby. At the back of the cave was a large basket, he'd guess about six feet across. A bucket of water and towels sat in front of it, a bag leaning against one side of the basket. Jack sat in it, cooing at something Aster couldn't see. Jack picked whatever it was up, and the cries stopped.

Aster hopped forward to get a closer look, and his eyes landed on the eggs.

Four eggs, a distinct tapping coming from three. One with a blue base and pink and white design was rocking, cracks appearing in the shell. They were all big and colorful and _these were Pooka eggs_.

He froze, staring at the eggs. The blue one broke out of its shell, the special claw tips that would fall off later cracking pieces off in chunks. It squirmed its way out, black fur matted. Short ears moved atop its head, and its fur was distinctly thicker around the ankles, wrists, and neck, even through the baby fluff.

Jack had picked it up the moment it let out a cry, whispering little words of comfort. "Hi, hey there, hello little one." Jack took a damp towel and began cleaning the matted fur. The baby squirmed in his arms, small noises of discomfort, not liking the towel. Jack chuckled. "I'm sorry, I have to clean you. Just a bit longer, and you can nap with Clover. Would you like that? Hey, hey, it's okay; it's okay?" It was only when Jack pointed it out that Aster saw the red-furred kit sleeping at Jack's side, partially covered by a thick quilt.

The baby simpered, and opened its eyes as Jack spoke. Bright green latched onto Jack's face, particularly on his mouth as it moved, and the baby calmed.

Jack looked it over, grunting when he found what he was looking for. "Another boy, huh?" He brushed his fingers through the baby's neck fluff. "Sage. How do you like that? Are you Sage?"

The baby gurgled, and looked past Jack to Aster.

Aster, who hadn't realized he was crying until that moment.

"Pooka," Bunny said, wiping away the tears. "You…found?...Pooka eggs."

Jack shook his head slowly, watching Aster carefully with the baby tucked protectively in his arms. "Manny entrusted them to me. I didn't know what they were, or I would have told you sooner."

Aster gulped, and nodded. "I want them to come with me to the Warren."

Jack jerked back, holding the baby closer. "No! You can't take them away from me! I won't let you!" Jack's face twisted in distress. "They're mine too! You can't…you can't _shut me out!_"

Aster watched the protective instincts Jack displayed that would make any Pooka mother proud, and came to the quiet conclusion that he was making the right choice. He shook his head. "Of course not, mate. You're coming with them."

Jack's brow furrowed. "I…I don't understand."

"Pooka kits latch onto the first person they lay eyes on; keeping you away would emotionally traumatize the ones that have already hatched." Aster lended a meaningful gaze to the words he said next. "And they only hatch after receiving months of affection and attention, to make sure the one they attach themselves to is a good person. Jack, you," Bunny took a shaky breath, "I couldn't keep you away even if I wanted to. Which I don't." Jack's relief was palpable. "But the Warren was made for Pooka, and they're mine too, so I want them to come live there, and I want you to come with them."

Jack nodded slowly. "I understand." He looked away, and Aster thought he almost looked bashful. "I'll come."

A crack came from the yellow egg. Jack handed newly named Sage to Aster, pointing to the bag next to the nest. "There's formula in bottles in that bag. They're fine eating that, right? Clover took to it well."

Bunny's breathing hitched as he found himself with an arm full of kit, heart stuttering in his chest. He looked down at the bright green eyes that watched him, seeming uncomfortable to be away from Jack. The kit squirmed, tiny whimpers coming from its mouth.

"Yeah," he choked out, momentarily overcome, "that should be fine."

He fetched the bottle while Jack crooned encouragement to the hatching kit. The last two eggs had already started up their tapping, and the green one looked like it might hatch next. Sage latched onto the nipple easily enough, sucking happily once the first drops of formula reached his tongue.

Jack held the new kit as he cleaned it, this one with longer ears and grey fur. "Another boy," Jack muttered. "Welcome, sweet thing." Jack pecked its nose, and it snuffled. He laughed, and the kit opened eyes as grey as its fur. "And what's your name, huh? Bunny, what do you think?"

Aster peeked at Jack and the baby, and something about this entire situation just felt _right_. He pondered for a moment. "Jasper, I think."

Jack nodded. "Jasper." He ran his fingers over his little ears. "Hi, Jasper."

Jack fed Jasper while Aster set Sage down to sleep next to Clover. The green egg cracked, and Aster maneuvered himself around the basket to better reach it. Wonder settled over him like a fine cloak as he watched the kit work itself out, little brown legs kicking fiercely.

"Oh, you're a bit of a fighter, aren't ya sweetheart?" Aster looked the kit over as it emerged, and leaned forward to sniff at it. "A girl," he said, "and…a doe." She finished working her way out, and Aster scooped her up before she had a chance to cry out, taking the towel and dipping it fresh before wiping at her fur. Her ears and face held splotches of cream colored fur.

"Doe?" Jack asked.

"There are does, who can lay eggs, and bucks, who have to fertilize the eggs for them to be laid." Bunny chuffed her chin. "This little champ's a doe."

"Then these must be bucks." Jack nodded his chin at the other kits. "They're all boys."

"Not necessarily." Aster set the towel down and came around the basket. Careful with the one in his arms, he leaned down and sniffed at Clover and Sage. "Sage is a buck. Clover's a doe." At Jack's surprised look, Bunny chuckled. "Let me get a look at Jasper." Jack held him out, and Aster gave a few sniffs. "Buck," he determined.

The kit in his arms shifted around, and Aster chinned her carefully. "Hush now, give me a tic, sweet." He contemplated for a moment. "You're Peony," he decided.

Peony opened her eyes, a pretty blue a shade darker than Jack's, and gurgled as she looked at Aster. She clutched at his chest ruff with a weak grip, snuggling into it with a happy squeak.

"Aren't you precious?" he muttered.

"Ah!" Jack thrust a bottle at Aster after settling Jasper down. "The last one's hatching!"

The black egg, with its silver and orange swirls, was rocking amongst the discarded egg fragments of the other kits. One foot kicked out, and the egg toppled on its side, rolling around in the basket. Jack laughed, and the kit finished its way out, bursting from the egg and flopping onto the pillows. A white baby kit kicked its feet, tossing its head side to side as it began to squeak.

Jack picked it up, taking the towel and beginning the cleaning process once more. "You," he chuckled, "are _hyper_." He looked the kit over. "And also a boy." Jack looked up at Aster under his eyelashes, and Aster's heart stuttered in his chest. "How about this one? Got another name?"

Bunny gulped. "Ash." Ash's left ear had a single black spot, as did his right hip.

"I like it," Jack agreed. He retrieved a final bottle from the bag, and Ash was on it like a bear on honey. "Woah! Slow down, you'll make yourself sick."

When Ash was set down to sleep, he opened his eyes, big and brown, and blinked up at Jack. He made a tired noise, and went to sleep. He then immediately rolled over onto Jasper.

"This kit," Aster said fondly, and shooed Ash back into his spot before he could wake Jasper. Bunny set Peony down, to sleep, and sniffed Ash. "He's a buck."

"Three bucks, two does," Jack counted. "Four boys, and one girl."

Aster nodded. He gave Jack a firm look. "You say Manny gave them to you?"

"Yes." Jack fiddled with the hem of his hoodie. "I thought he was giving me them as some sort of peace offering. Like, giving me the family I'd always wanted, you know? I'd given up on ever having kids, but then the eggs appeared and I just," Jack grasped for words, "I wanted it. I'd planned to tell you all once they'd hatched. I know it's selfish, but I wanted to keep them to myself for a while."

"But…"

Jack looked down. "Clover hatched, and I could tell what he was. I couldn't hide them from you, not with you thinking you were the last."

Bunny scrubbed a hand over his face. "How did he get them? When did he? Why…why would he let me think there were no others for _so long_?" Hurt laced his voice with sharp points. "He had no right; no _right_ to keep them from me."

Jack shrugged. "I don't know." He bit his lip. "I'm sorry."

Aster tamped down his anger with a frustrated sigh. "Still," he admitted, "if he had to entrust them to anyone other than me, I'm glad it was you."

The look Jack gave him made Aster wonder if this whole courtship thing might go faster than he'd anticipated. Besides, they would be raising the kits together—surely that meant skipping a few steps?

* * *

**In order of birth/who had which egg.**  
**1. Clover-the white, red, and blue *cough Togepi cough* egg.**  
**2. Sage-the sky blue egg, with big pink starbursts on top and bottom, and a white stripe through the middle.**  
**3. Jasper-the yellow egg, with green and purple polka dots.**  
**4. Peony-the emerald green egg, with ruby red splotches.**  
**5. Ash-the black egg, with orange and silver swirls.**  
**THESE SWEET BABBEHS. I HAVE FALLEN IN LOVE WITH THEM SO MUCH.**


	6. Just hold the hand and drop the knee

**JR Week Prompt: Blood**

**And...here we go. Not as much kit stuff, but needed actual Jackrabbit stuffs.**  
**Just one more chapter, guys, and that chapter is a bit more like an epilogue, really. The last chapter's shorter, but...at least this one is my usual length.**

* * *

What we anticipate seldom occurs; what we least expected generally happens.

-Benjamin Disraeli, _Henrietta Temple_, 1837

* * *

Jack and the kits moved into the Warren as quickly as possible. Their basket was cleaned and put in Bunny's nest room. Jack slept in the nest with Bunny, and took a great deal of secret pleasure in doing so.

Over the next few weeks, Bunny filled Jack in on Pooka growth cycles. The kits would be hopping around within a month, he said. Apparently Pooka were quick to get moving, and within the year would be walking on two feet. Unsteadily, but walking. They'd age up to about the average human seven year old's size by about three years old. After that the process slowed significantly. It would take decades for them to reach maturity. When he said that he gave Jack a significant look, making sure Jack understood that he would be in it for the long haul. Jack's response was a straight stare. These were his eggies. He'd already accepted all the responsibilities that would come with that.

The Guardians were all brought around to meet the babies, and they cooed accordingly. (Jack would never admit that if they hadn't cooed he'd have been strangely offended for his kits.) The four that had latched onto Jack fell asleep and calmed easier whenever Jack was the one handling them, but Bunny and Peony had developed their own special relationship.

There were a few times where Jack would catch Bunny stroking her little ears as he held her on his lap, speaking to her gently. She always watched him with enraptured, adoring eyes. Meanwhile Clover, Sage, Jasper, and Ash hung all over Jack like he was a walking jungle gym. He had no fewer than two babies hanging off him at any time. They wrapped themselves over his shoulder and crawled along his legs. When he read to them each night before bed they piled themselves on him, listening as their soft ears twitched at the sound of his voice.

One night, Jack woke up to a sound he'd never heard. Soft singing drifted to him, and Jack blinked awake. By the bed Bunny cradled Clover in his arms, playing with his toes. By now the special egg claws had fallen off, and the retractable claws that took their place were still soft and weak. Bunny sang to the kit in a language Jack had never heard. The words were thick with vowels and sharp consonants, and it sounded beautiful coming from Bunny's mouth.

"What language was that?" he asked drowsily when Bunny put Clover back in the basket.

Bunny jumped in surprise. "What are you doing up?"

"I heard you singing." Jack yawned. "What language was that?" he repeated.

"Pookan." Bunny crawled into the nest beside Jack. The basket was kept to the left of the nest, and Jack typically slept on the right side.

"It was pretty." Jack sighed into a pillow "I liked it."

"My dam used to sing it to me," Bunny whispered.

He pet Jack's hair. "Go to sleep Frostbite."

Jack caught his hand, surprising Bunny. Jack brought his hand around to his face, rubbing his cheek into the pads of Bunny's palm. "Stay, Bunny?" He looked up at Bunny with glazed eyes.

"Of course." Bunny settled in, drawing the covers over himself. "Go to sleep."

"Mmm," Jack hummed. "Okay."

He closed his eyes, and fell asleep. He only vaguely remembered the event the next morning.

* * *

Jack had been right in his initial assumptions that North would spoil the kits.

"North," Jack explained, "I can understand giving them toys—so long as they're age appropriate—but they don't _need_ seven crates full."

North pouted. "But is Christmas! That means gift exchange!"

"But not seven crates, mate!" Bunny gestured to the crates that littered the ground in front of the cottage.

The kits hopped around the crates, snuffling their faces and giggling when they bumped into each other.

"Tell you what North," Jack offered, "we'll take _one_ crate. The others have to go back. We just can't accept this much. Is there even room in the cottage for this many toys?"

"Not even close." Bunny stood by Jack's side, arms crossed and showing support. "One crate, final offer."

"Bah!" North groaned. "You are like old married couple! Fine, I will keep the rest at the Pole for kits to play with."

"That's—! We're not!" Jack denied, blush raging across his cheeks.

North gave him a sly look. "You have kids together."

"North," Bunny warned.

North waved Bunny's ire away. "Fine, fine. I will take the rest back with me. I have to go now, presents need to be delivered tonight!"

North left through a portal, a few yeti coming through to collect the extra crates and cart them back to the Pole.

"Blowhard," Bunny muttered after him.

Jack shook his head. "I'm going to make dinner. Watch the kits?"

"On it," Bunny accepted.

Jack prepared a special food for his eggies, a recipe Bunny had scrounged from one of his many, many, _old_ books. (Who knew the guy had a library stashed away in the Warren?) Adapted to suit ingredients found on Earth, it ended up being a mashed up mixture of various vegetables and fruits. The color wasn't exactly pleasing, but the kids ate it up like nothing else, so Jack figured it couldn't be all that bad.

…that didn't mean he was going to try it himself, however. The color made his stomach flip in weird ways. Bunny could tease all he liked; he wasn't the one that might end up with puke on his hoodie.

Jack and Bunny ended up having a potato soup with fresh bread. After dinner came bath time (the kits had an astoundingly effective way of getting the mash in the most creative places on their bodies. Especially Ash. As white as his fur was, the kit rarely escaped dinner time without looking like a kaleidoscope of colors), and then they were settled into the basket for bed. Jack cleaned up in the kitchen while Bunny tucked them in and read to them.

Jack was just putting the last of the dishes away when Bunny came into the kitchen.

"Are they asleep?"

Bunny hopped over to Jack's side and stood up. "Tuckered themselves out playin' earlier. Fell asleep halfway through the chapter."

"Even Sage? He's usually so stubborn about it."

"Even Sage." Bunny watched as Jack stood on tiptoe to get the last plate put away in the cabinet. "I think we need to talk."

Jack dropped the plate. It hit the counter with a crash, glass falling over the edge and onto the floor. Jack yelped when he was slashed across the top of his foot, jolting backwards.

"Jack!" Bunny skimmed around the glass, and eased Jack into a chair at the table. "Sit down. I'll clean this up."

"Damn it." Jack leaned over to look at his foot, checking to make sure there was no stray glass in the wound. It wasn't deep, thank goodness. "Sorry Bunny."

Bunny swept up the mess, putting it in a bag and knotting it before tossing the bag away in the trash bin. "It's alright. Just an accident." Bunny fetched a first aid kit (Jack theorized the case had been around a long time. It was dented metal with chunky clasps, and certainly looked old, even if the contents had been replaced over time). Kneeling he gently took hold of Jack's foot by the heel. "Let me take a look at it."

Jack winced a bit as Bunny probed and cleaned the cut. "Well doctor? Will I live?"

"Afraid we'll have to amputate," Bunny replied, rolling his eyes. He put a big bandage over the cut. "There. You'll be fine."

While Bunny put his supplies away Jack took a deep breath. "What did you want to talk about?"

Bunny sat at the table in the seat across from Jack. He was slow to start. "It's about what North said…what he implied about us."

Nervous tension seeped into Jack's shoulders. Had Bunny caught onto him? He'd been trying to gently ease them in the direction he wanted. Bunny seemed fine with Jack being domestic, and they'd settled fairly well into their roles as parents. He was even sleeping in the _nest_ with him—that was, like, a bazillion steps earlier than he'd expected. Had he moved too quickly?

"I think we should give it a go."

Jack blinked. "What?"

Bunny looked sheepish and embarrassed. "Right, sorry, should have known you weren't thinkin' that way. Just forget I ever brought it up."

"_No!_" Jack nearly threw himself across the table with his hands outstretched to keep Bunny from getting up. Bunny startled at the sudden action. Jack drew back, coughing awkwardly. "I mean, ah, no. Explain what you mean."

"Okay." Bunny gave him a weird look, but it faded into sincere seriousness. "Jack, mate, I've gotta tell you. I've been taking advantage of this whole situation."

…what?

"Truth is I've been letting you putter around here, acting like any Pooka doe would to show their buck they're interested."

What?

"I've been trying to court you for a while now. I don't think you noticed, though."

_What?_

"Courting me?" Jack asked.

Bunny nodded, looking off to the side. "Letting you sleep in my nest, scent marking you—"

"_Scent _marking?"

"Well what did you think I kept making you use my blankets for? They're covered in my scent; it's the closest thing I could get to staking a claim without actually chinning you."

"Chinning?"

"That thing I do to the kits, when I rub my chin on their heads. It leaves a scent marker."

"This is a personal thing, right?" Jack hoped his hands weren't trembling enough to give away his excitement. "It's not just because of the eggies?"

"Jack, I'd decided to do this a year ago, before they even came along. In fact, I," Bunny's face scrunched with remembered hurt, "I'd decided to finally give up on the possibility of there being other Pooka and ever having children if it meant being with you." Bunny smiled, softly and wonderfully. "But somehow I get to have it all." He halted. "Uh, that is, if you agree."

"You want to court me?" Jack confirmed.

Bunny nodded. "I do."

"You want to be my mate?"

"Eventually we would be," Bunny acknowledged, fidgeting the more Jack asked.

"You want," Jack said slowly, "to marry me."

"It would be nice." Bunny scratched at his chest ruff, peeking at Jack from the corner of his eye. "If you wanted."

Jack _leaped_ over the table.

Bunny honked as they were knocked back in the chair, almost tipping over until Bunny managed to grab the table edge. His claws dug into the wood, leaving long scratches behind as he stabilized them and got the chair legs back on the ground. Jack straddled his lap.

"What the _bleeding_ hell—"

"You _oblivious_ ball of _fluff!_" Jack grabbed Aster by the cheeks, staring him straight in the eye. "I've been doing the same thing!"

Bunny appeared confused. "You have?"

"Maybe not exactly, but yes!" Jack gestured expansively around the kitchen. "You think I feel like cleaning up and taking care after _anyone?_ You think I'd move in with someone I didn't trust completely? You think I'd sleep in the nest of someone I _didn't have intentions for?_" Jack slumped with a groan. "I'm more selfish than that."

Bunny pulled Jack's lips down to his. Jack yelped in surprise, then smiled into the kiss. He blushed and reciprocated with pressure of his own. Bunny's lips were flat, and the structure of his face strange compared to Jack's own. But they made it work. Jack sighed against Bunny's mouth, and Bunny took the opportunity to slip his tongue out. He swiped it across Jack's lips, and when Jack's response was a pleasant hum, pushed it into Jack's mouth. Jack wriggled in Bunny's lap, heat stretching through every limb and pooling in his abdomen. Their tongues probed gently at each other, tangling and coming apart in erratic beats.

When Bunny pulled away, Jack was gasping with a blush heavy on his cheeks and a dazed look in his eye.

Bunny's hands latched themselves around Jack's waist. "I hope you like that blush."

"Hm?" Jack managed to reply. "Why?"

"Because in a moment it's the only thing you'll be wearing." Bunny stood up, hands sliding down to beneath Jack's thighs to hold Jack up as he walked.

"Oh," Jack said breathily.

"And one more thing," Bunny added.

"What's that?" Bunny carried them to the living room, where he plopped Jack down onto the sofa.

He grinned down at him. "Call me Aster."


	7. You're facing love

**JR Week Prompt: Olympics**

**Last chapter (that's more of an epilogue and shorter _I'm sorry_).**

**Enjoy, darlings.**

* * *

There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in.

-Graham Greene, _The Power and the Glory,_ 1940

* * *

"Welcome back." Jack kissed his mate thoroughly as Aster entered the cottage. "How'd it go?"

"North says he's good watching the kits for the weekend." Bunny chinned the top of Jack's head. "I made sure to ask Tooth to 'pop in' every once in a while to check on them."

"Sounds good. They got any plans?"

"Apparently North wants to take them to spy on the Winter Olympics."

"…you talked him out of it, right?"

Aster snorted. "Of course. Ash would get himself into trouble somehow, and he'd drag Jasper and Peony along with him." He pulled away. "Don't worry, Snowflake. Tooth'll keep them out of trouble if North can't. We don't have to worry much for Clover or Sage anyway; those two'll hole themselves up together with some of the books North has laying around and entertain themselves."

"I can't help thinking about them," Jack defended, "they're my eggies."

Aster gave him a look. "How long are you gonna call them that? They're four years old, and haven't been in eggs ever since they hatched."

Jack shoved Aster with mock irritation. "Doesn't matter. They'll always be my eggies."

"They've got you wrapped around their little finger." His voice was accusatory, but his eyes were warm.

"You act like they don't have you, too," Jack pointed out.

Aster's lip twitched. "I've got a surprise for you."

Jack perked. "A surprise?" He tugged Aster's chest ruff. "Gimme."

Aster choked out an unexpected laugh. "Since when are you the ankle biter around here?" He grabbed Jack's hand, and tugged him along toward the door. Jack made sure to grab his staff on the way out.

Aster led Jack to the edge of the Warren, where the River of Coloring fed into a colorful pool. Aster'd once explained that from here the river drained down into a reservoir that cycled around and started the river anew. There was more about the magic that went into keeping the river clean and the reservoir and colors that went into it, but Jack could freely admit he hadn't been paying attention. He'd been too focused on wiping down Ash after they'd fished _him_ out of the river to care how it _worked._

Before, the only thing that had been near the pool was the stone wall and a few clumped together trees on its left side. Now, there was a large tarp tacked on the wall, and a two-person swing had been hung between two trees from their branches. The swing faced the wall and tarp, and was itself beautifully made of dark stained wood. Aster directed Jack around to sit on the swing, while he approached the tarp. Jack leaned his staff against the left tree before taking a seat.

"Oh, did you paint me something?" Jack kicked his legs out as the swing rocked. "I love it when you paint me things."

"Not quite, Snowdrop." Aster grabbed the tarp. "Close your eyes for me, love."

Jack did so, and heard Bunny's movements and the rustle of fabric as the tarp was removed. A moment later Aster's weight joined him on the swing.

"You can open now," Aster whispered in his ear.

Jack opened his eyes, and immediately covered his mouth with his hands let out a sharp gasp.

The wall was covered by a circular mosaic. Aster had recreated himself and Jack in a field of green, sitting down and tucked up against each other, from various colorful stones. He'd even done Jack's hoodie in dark blues, and his hair in shining whites. Around them their five kits played. The Peony, Jasper, and Ash mosaics lay in a happy pile in front, while Clover tucked himself into a ball at Jack's hip. Sage, never known to be far from Clover, leaned against Jack's folded knee. A thick band of blue-white formed the circle's border, and evenly spaced around it were mosaics of five eggs.

"You like it?" Aster squeezed Jack's knee.

"I do." Jack took his hands from his mouth. "I do. I can't believe you…wait…"

Jack stood up, and approached the mosaic for a closer look. Leaning in, he took a long look at Sage's blue, pink, and white egg. "These are—!" He whirled around, wide-eyed. "You kept their shells?"

"Knew I'd find a good use for them." Aster stood up from the swing. "You like it?" he repeated.

"Aster, I," Jack stuttered, "I love it."

"I'm glad." Aster took Jack's hand in his. "It took me a while to make, and it was hard to keep a secret. Sage actually caught me once. Had to bribe him with sweets to make him keep quiet."

"_Sage?_" Jack gave him a look of disbelief. "_Our _Sage? The calm, thoughtful kit that insists on reading every book in your library; _that_ Sage?"

"I was surprised as well. But turns out the sweets weren't for him." Aster glanced at the mosaic slyly. "Guess who had a sweet tooth that day?"

"Oh." Jack nodded in understanding. "Clover."

"Got it in one."

Jack leaned his head on Aster's shoulder. "Can we go get the eggies a day early?"

"Missin' them already?"

"Always."

Bunny sighed affectionately. "Of course we can." He turned his head and snuffled Jack's hair. "But that means we're gonna have to make up for it by making tonight especially worthwhile."

Jack hummed mischievously. He hooked his leg around Aster's, pulled, and sent them both tumbling to the ground. He climbed on Aster's waist, straddling him as he ran his hands up the other's warm, sturdy chest. His grin was pure sin, and it made Aster's pupils dilate to see it. "I think I can do that."

Jack lay on the cool grass of the Warren on the hill next to the cottage, the magic sunlight shining a comfortable warmth on his skin. At the base of the hill Aster and the kits played. Aster was tackled on all sides by raging balls of excitable fluff, with Ash taking the lead. Jasper and Peony took up arms after him, and Sage had somehow gotten drawn into the struggle. Jack opened his eyes when he felt someone's gaze on him.

"Clover," he smiled. "Why aren't you playing?"

Clover shifted closer. His nose twitched as he tilted his head to the side, his long ears flopping over his face. His red fur seemed a bit brighter in the sunlight. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Taking a nap." Jack opened his arms invitingly. "Would you like to join me?"

Clover snuggled into Jack's arms. Jack ran his hands over Clover's back. The young Pooka chattered his teeth in a purr. Most of the baby fluff was gone now, and Clover was just starting to get pronounced chest ruff. Most of the kits were the same way excepting Sage, who Aster had explained was built like one of the Northern Pooka and would retain more fur on his feet, wrists, hips, and neck than the others.

Clover lay his head against Jack's chest, ear pressed to his hoodie. They both closed their eyes, and simply enjoyed the other's touch. They lingered in that warm comfortable space between asleep and awake.

"I can hear your heart beat," Clover said softly.

Jack sighed, quiet and tender. "It's saying I love you."

He felt Clover smile, and knew if he looked the kit's buck teeth, more pronounced than the other kits', would be sticking out adorably in it. "I love you too, Dammy."

Jack furrowed his brows, and blinked the fog away. "Dammy?"

Clover stiffened against him. "Uh…I mean, Daddy?"

Jack sat up, forcing Clover to do so as well. He gave his kit a skeptical look. "Uh-huh. Where did you get that from?" Clover seemed reluctant to answer, so he used the _tone_. "Clover Frost…"

Clover glanced from side to side, grinning nervously. "Um…Papa calls you that? When you're not around."

"Oh Papa _does_, does he?" He shooed Clover off his lap, scooped up his staff, and assumed a stance looking down on his mate and kits from the top of the hill. He took a deep breath and cried out, "_Eggberta Aster Bunnymund what have you been telling my eggies?_"

Aster looked up from under a pile of kits, who all froze at the sound of Jack's voice. All except Ash, who fell from Aster's back in a heap of rakish giggles. "Eggberta!"

"I don't know what you're talkin' about, love?" Aster stood up, the kits falling off one by one until only Peony stubbornly clung to his leg.

Jack crossed his arms. "_Dammy?_"

"Ah." Aster shooed Peony off is leg. "Sorry kits, Papa's gotta run." He shot Jack a sly look, and took off at full sprint.

Jack whooped, and grabbed up Clover. He jumped into the wind and sped off after Aster. "Come on eggies!" he called. "We've gotta catch Papa and teach him a lesson."

Four laughing Pooka kits took off after their Papa from the ground, the fifth screaming his delight from their Dammy's (as the name would come to stick, to Jack's resigned bemusement) arms. Sounds that would be repeated the next day, and the next day, and the next, on and on and on for the rest of forever.

Well, as long as Jack Frost had anything to say about it, that is.

And he did.

* * *

***Smile* This one actually made me sad to finish. **  
**But, jeez. These babies. I may have to revisit Jack and his eggies just to play with them a bit more in the future. (When I don't have other stories in mind that I'm planning.)**  
**This is all I've got for JR week, so, it is complete for now. No, I didn't go into detail about the 'why' or 'how' of Manny acquiring the eggs, but I'd like to let you imagine it for yourself. I have my own theories that, should I come back to this 'verse, I'll probably go into. But until then, decide for yourself. It's not terribly important for the outcome of how this story went, but perhaps imagining your own theory can help make the story a bit more personal to you.**


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